The Grove of Memories (overview)
by Mary317
Summary: My idea of what a sequel to "The Lord of the Rings" could be. Comments greatly appreciated! Thanks!


**The Grove of Memories**

_Overview of a sequel to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy_

The story starts as we see Frodo lose sight of Middle Earth and enter Valinor. We see the wonder and glory of Valinor through Frodo's eyes, and start to see how Frodo is being healed. Frodo has been in Valinor for a year when Gandalf comes and speaks to him.

There is a special place in Valinor called the Grove of Memories. In this place you are granted access to all the memories you or anyone else ever had on Middle Earth. You are not permitted to enter unless you have good and pure intentions. In Valinor, you should not dwell on the past, but rather look to the future, which is why this place is forbidden except for a special few.

Gandalf brings Frodo to this place with the permission of Galadriel. He shows Frodo his own memories, some during Frodo's lifetime and others before it.

Frodo begins to understand how Gandalf has been very misunderstood by many people. Saruman, of course, did not understand the decisions Gandalf chose to make on Earth, but many people that knew and loved him did not truly understand him, either. No one ever really understood why Gandalf chose to spend so much time in the Shire, when he could associate with people of great wealth and power. No one ever really saw the true heart of Gandalf, a wise and stern leader, but also a loving and caring heart that truly wanted to see the good in everyone, while also doing what's best for them. The hobbits looked up to him like a father, and trusted him, but never really thought about why he _chose_ to do so much for them. Frodo begins to see all this.

Then Gandalf begins to show Frodo parts of Sam's life. Sam was teased sometimes as a little boy because of his love for gardening, No one ever really listened to what Sam had to say, but if they had, they would have discovered a very different hobbit from what they perceived on the outside. All they saw was a shy, chubby little fellow who loved his garden. On the inside was a strong, but gentle, warrior who was capable of doing things that no one, not even himself, could ever have imagined. As Frodo is shown scenes from their journey, he sees it from Sam's perspective. He realizes how much courage it would have taken to fight Shelob alone, and how hard it must have been to be cheerful in Mordor, when he himself was despairing. Frodo realizes then that Sam _chose_ to do all these things, because he was so loyal and loved Frodo so much.

Frodo sees why Gandalf chose to take him there. Gandalf and Sam are more alike than anyone knew. Gandalf had seen something in Sam that no one else did because he could relate in a special way to the little hobbit. He knew how much all hobbits were capable of, and that is why he chose to watch over them when every other wizard thought he was simple-minded and couldn't see the big picture. In reality, Gandalf could see far beyond the present. He could tell what hobbits would be capable of doing.

Frodo realized then how much Sam is worth. He loved and cared for Sam before, but now he respected him and understood in a deeper way how much Sam had done for him. He knew how brave Sam truly was, and how much he had sacrificed. Frodo knew that no one else could have gone through everything that he and Sam went through, and all the moments that Sam could have abandoned him but chose not to flashed before his eyes. All the moments that Sam endured Gollum for his sake, all the times when Sam went without sleep or food or water, for him, and all the times when Sam was there for him that he never had realized. Frodo understood that life is full of choices, and the best people all around are the people who make decisions for the right reasons. You won't always make the perfect choice, or the one that will make everyone happy, but you have to be strong enough to be loyal to the people that you love, and to be loyal to yourself. Frodo really understood what kind of a person Sam was, on the inside, for the first time.

Gandalf took Frodo to the Grove of Memories so that he could truly understand his strong, brave friend, Sam. Frodo had learned something else, too. He was the first person to understand Gandalf. Gandalf is such a humble person, that he never would look for anyone to praise him or wonder at what he accomplishes, but by showing why he chose Sam in particular to be Frodo's companion, he showed Frodo who he was on the inside, as well. Frodo realized that people on Middle Earth would be telling a very different story to their children if it hadn't been for the choices that Gandalf, Sam, and even himself had made. That day was a day that Frodo Baggins never forgot as long as he lived.

There was never a day of more rejoicing or celebration than the day that Frodo and Sam were reunited in Valinor. They both had a deeper appreciation and respect for each other, and their friendship grew more than it ever could have before. By reflecting on the decisions that he had made in the past, Frodo learned to make better decisions, ones that would be the best for him and for others, in the future.

**A/N: This is a piece I wanted to submit for extra credit in my J.R.R. Tolkien class, but I wanted to get some feedback first. Is there anything in it that goes against something that Tolkien already wrote? This is just my view of what happened. This is what was in my head as I read the last book. I understand that many people will not agree with me, but I felt that this was something that Frodo really had to understand. This is not the actual story as I would write it to be published, it's just an overview. Comments are really appreciated! Thanks to everyone!**


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